Jackie was ringing Luke's doorbell. She wanted to tell him everything. Luke was right, she thought, standing outside his door. Alaric bought drugs from Nova. "Coming," Luke's muffled voice came from behind the door. He opened the door, with his niece in his arms and a Bib over his shoulder. "Hurry, in 6 seconds, she'll start crying." Jackie kissed the baby's cheek and went inside the living room. Luke lived with his mother, brother- and sister-in-law, who Jackie only met three times. "I got some news." She said, plopping onto the sofa. A toy car was laying beside her. "Hold up, let me just get her milk." He gave the baby to Jackie and went inside the kitchen.
Luke's father worked security at the Blue Bird Mansion, which meant he only came for holidays and sometimes birthdays. "What is it?" he said, lying his niece on the blanket and sitting down beside her. "Alaric showed up with his gums at the diner today." When Luke said nothing, she continued, "he made a deal with me. He informed me that i have passed the trial and was eligible for the interview. And to keep my mouth shut about us seeing him in this part of the city."
"That son of a bitch." Luke swore.
"LUKE." Jackie pointed to his niece, who was staring at them.
"What, she's 3."
"The plan is still in action, right? His threat meant that he was buying drugs at Nova." Luke went on.
"You know only 10 students are selected each year, and those 10 pass the interview." She looked down, feeling guilty for backing out.
"You backing out?"
"Look, I got what i want, he knows that i know about him. Even if we went along with the plan, he will know it was me. Luke, he won't only come after me, he'll come after my family and yours too."
"Jackie, I'm doing this. With or without you." She recognized the anger in his eyes. She had them when she heard about her father's accident.
"How about we carry it out with an actual evidence? The semester is about to start, anyway. He will come back again and we will catch him in the act."
It took another minute to convince Luke, after which he was in a bad mood. She didn't understand his obsession with this plan. Or was it with Alaric? The next day a letter arrived confirming her place at the academy, and with a full scholarship, her mother was overjoyed. "I knew all that hard work at school paid off," but Jackie knew that Snowmore only offered scholarships to talented individuals who had taken part in duels. Alaric had just thrown her another bone to keep her mouth shut.
Later that day, Jackie hoped on the train to uptown, the city's heart. The buildings came into view, billboards advertising the national duel competition which was going to take place in the winter of this year. A few people were in the air, controlling the weather. She saw slayers in a red leather jacket patrolling a few areas. When the train came out of the tunnel, her eyes shimmered upon seeing the Citadel. It was where she wanted to work after graduating from the academy, where all the slayers are trained in combat and field magic, where they are given missions. Best thing about it was Director Cecil, whom she admired the most. He had captured the necromancer cult who were creating chaos among the citizens by releasing curses anonymously.
Jackie hopped out of the train. Clutching her bag, she headed straight towards the shopping mall. Everything was so elegant and glamorous, the dresses she could only dream of wearing, the shoes she saw in the magazines. Jackie looked away. Knowing she will feel bad about her situation. She rode up the escalator until the snowmore shop was visible to her. She stepped inside. The interior was decorated with wooden floorboards and high ceilings. Children her age were getting measured by the employees, while the staff offered them snacks and champagne.
"How may I help you?" a sweet girl with a long ponytail asked her. "Uh, I'm here to buy the uniform." Jackie replied. The woman took her towards the seating area, where a girl had hidden her face with a book. "I'll be right with you," she said, and disappeared in the back. The girl beside her closed her book and sipped her champagne. Jackie recognized her face. It was the same girl who was sitting beside her in the exam, I guess she got in too. "Is something wrong?" the girl asked, and Jackie realized she was staring at her face. "Oh no, it's just we met at the exam." The girl only nodded and went back to her reading. An employee offered her pink champagne, and she greedily accepted it.
"Will you stop stabbing me with the needles?" a shrill voice yelled across the room. It wasn't visible who it was because of half the wall blocking her vision. Then a girl with curly hair and a half uniform walked angrily towards them. She sat down on the sofa, took out her phone and typed. It was Daisy. Jackie avoided her eyes. She didn't want to be recognized and shamed in front of the new girl. "Alaric, it's hopeless here without you. When are you arriving?" Oh god, Jackie thought, not him. It will be hell, if he saw her here. "Miss Jackie, come with me." Thank God, she thought, getting up and walking away from Daisy.
They took her measurements, and the woman who introduced herself as Aria chatted with her. She was nice and kind. When Jackie told her she was on a budget, the woman threw in a pair of new shoes for free. With that, she gave her a form to fill and told her that the uniform will be delivered at the address. Jackie thanked her and said her goodbyes. When she walked into the sitting room to pick up her bag, she saw Alaric's silver hair from the back. Avoiding his eyes, she rushed to the sofa, picked up her bag, and started walking away. "Jackie jelly, what a surprise?" She froze. What did he want now? Jackie turned towards him. He was well groomed, wearing dress pants and a button-up shirt, with its sleeves rolled up. She saw the veins in his arms pop up when he picked up his glass. "Well, I guess I was wrong. I'll see you in school." He smiled like an angel, but she knew it had a different meaning. The bully was back.